Stream-motor.



G. SCHOENFELD.

STREAM MOTOR. APPLIGATION FILED MAR. a1, 1913.

Patented Apr. 7, 191i 2 EHEETS-SHBET 1.

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STREAM MOTOR. APPLIOATIONIILED MAR. a1, 1913.

1,092,403. Patented Apr. 7, 1914.

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Q, 5; I Jazies Saaew/akf ATTORNEY? CHARLES SGHOENFELD, OF CANTON, OHIO.

STREAM-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. *7, 1914.

Application filed March 31, 1918. Serial No. 757,780.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES SCHOENFELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Stream-Motor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of motors known as stream or current motors and intended to be set in the natural current of the stream or the natural movement of large bodies of water, and so arranged that the natural movement of the water,.either of a running stream, waves or other movements common to bodies of water can be utilized to actuate or propel the motor.

The objects of the present invention. are, first, to provide simple means. whereby. power can be obtained at little expense, and second, to provide means for easily repairing from time to time the motor. These objects together with other objects readily apparent to those skilled in the art, I attain by the construction illustrated .in the accompanying drawings, although my. invention may be embodied in a variety of other mechanical forms, the construction illustrated being chosen by way of example.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the motor. anchored in a running stream. Fig. 2 is a partiali side elevation. Fig. 3 isa top view of oneof the water wheels. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the method of anchoring themotor in a large body of water such as a lake or ocean. Fig. 5 is a top view of the motor such as shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view showing a portion of the float or boat, also a portion of one of the water wheel shafts and the shaft carrying bracket.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the boats or floats, which may be of any desired construction, reference being had to the purpose intended. When the motor proper is to be placed in a running stream such as a river, the floats or boats are anchored in the stream at any desired distance from one of the banks by means of the bars 2, which bars are pivoted or hinged to the brackets 3, which brackets are secured to the sides of the boats or floats 1. The bars 2 at their land endsare held by means of suitable anchor posts 4, which antchor posts may be of any desired construcion.

For thepurpose of more securely anchorlng the boats or floats 1, the anchor cord or cable 5 is provided, which is tied to the land anchor post 6 and to the post 7 or its equivalent, said post being fixed to one of the boats or floats 1. Upon the sides of the boats or floats 1 are located the water wheel shafts 8. WVhen the boats or floats are designed to be located in a river the floats or boats are to be anchored as shown in Fig. 1, but when they are to be anchored in the open water they are to be anchored as shown in Fig.4. The water wheel shafts being located at the sides of the boats or floats when located in a river current and at the ends when located in open water as a lake or ocean. The boats or floats 1 and 9 being constructed substantially the same in either instance, except thatthe boats or floats are provided with the downward extended stem 10, which is attached at its top or upper end to the bottom .of the boat or float 9, preferably by-means of the braces 11 and the flange-l2,--said parts being securely: bolted or riveted in'any convenient-manner. The only purpose being to provide a rigid connection of the anchorstem 10 to the boat or float. The bottom or lower end of the an chorstem .10 is provided with the anchor 13, which is of the usual form andsuch as commonly used for anchoring purposes other any end movement of the water wheel shafts 8, said shafts are provided with the fixed collars 18,-one of said'collars being located above the bearing17 and the other below and are spaced apart a distance equaltothe thickness of the bearing 17- or substantially so, thereby holding the water wheel shafts 8 infixed relative position with reference to their brackets, which brackets are held in.

fixed relative p-osition'with reference to the boats or floats by means of the bracket flanges 14. The object and purpose of pivota lly connecting the water shaft carrying brackets 15 is to provide'means for swinging said brackets into the position illustrated in dotted lines Fig. 4, or substantially so, so that the water wheels can be quickly and easily brought out of the water and'in position to be repaired or changed'without in any manner disturbing the boats or floats.

For the purpose of securely holding the water wheel carrying bracket 15 in'vertlcal positions or in such positions as to submerge the water wheels the holding brackets 19 are provided, which brackets are secured to the ends or sides of the boats or floats 1 and 9 and the brackets locked or secured by a locking pin 29 or its equivalent. The brackets 15 are provided at their bottom or lower ends with the inward curved portions 21, which are so arranged that they will abut against the ends or sides of the boats or floats 1 and 9, thereby preventing any swinging or loose motion at the bottom or lower ends of the brackets 15 after they have been secured by means of the brackets 19 and the keys 20.

Upon the water wheel shafts 8 are securely mounted in any convenient and well known manner, the arms 22, which arms are composed of upper and lower sets or pairs, and for the purpose of properly bracing these arms 22 and holding them in rigid condition the brace bars 23 are provided, which brace bars 23 are connected in any convenient and well known manner to the outer ends of the arms 22. To the outer ends of the arms 22 are pivotally attached the blades 24:, which blades are formed of a length equal or substantially equal to the distance between the pairs of arms 22 connected to the shafts 8.

For the purpose of preventing pivotal movement of the blades 24: when they are in position to receive the force of the water, the bars 25 are provided, which bars are located intermediate the ends of the arms 22 and the shafts 8, so that the blades 24 will come against said bars intermediate their vertical edges. It will be understood that by the movement of the water the blades are, brought into and out of action or in other words when they are moved against the current they stand edgewise to the current and'when moving with the current they stand sidewise,

For the purpose of transmitting power, the top or upper ends of the shafts 8 are provided with the pulleys 26 around which pulleys are located the belts 27, which belts extend to and around the pulley 28, said pulley being securely mounted upon the shaft 29 and upon the shaft 29 is located the gear wheel 30, which mesheswith the gear wheel 31, said gear wheel being fixed to the shaft 32, which shaft is for the purpose of transmitting power, either by means of a driven dynamo 33 or any other means, but

the present invention has no specific refer ence to the driving of dynamos from which power can be transmitted from the boats or floats rather than to be utilized upon the boats or floats. The above description of the gearing as between the water wheels proper and the dynamo is confined specifically to the showing in Figs. 1 and 2, which gearing is shown in connection with a pair of water wheelsdesigned to rotate in the same direction or be propelled by river or stream current.

It is necessary when the device is anchored at the bottom or bed of the body of the water to arrange the water wheels at the ends of the boat or float and so construct the water wheels that they will rotate in opposite directions, otherwise the force of the water would have a tendency to skew the boat or float, but by arranging the wheels so that they will be rotated inv opposite directions this tendency is overcome.

In order to properly rotate the wheel 34, the belts 35 and 36 should be open and cross belts respectively as best illustrated in Fig. 5. The shaft 37 is provided with the gear wheel 38, which gear wheel is for the purpose of driving a dynamo or other power transmitting mechanism by intermediate gearing which is simply mechanical.

It will be understood that when the boat or float is anchored as shown in Fig. 4: it will remain in substantial alinement with the current, and owing to the fact that the water wheels are constructed to rotate in opposite directions the boat or float will be prevented from skewing.v

In Fig. 1 two boats or floats are shown connected together by means of a suitable tie bar 39, and it will be understood that any number of boats or floats may be connectedtogether by which arrangement the power is increased according to the number of boats or floats in the series. It will also be understood that by anchoring the boats or floats by means of the hinged connection the boats or floats are free to move up and down with the rise and fall of the stream, the same being true as to the construction shown in Fig. 5 by reason of the connection of the anchor 13.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a stream motor, the combination of a float, bracket-flanges secured to said float, brackets .pivotally connected at their upper ends to the fixed bracket-flanges, shafts journaled in the pivoted brackets, motor wheels fixed to the shafts, said motor wheels consisting of a series of arms and pivoted blades, and means for holding the brackets against pivotal movement in one direction.

2. In a stream mot-or, the combination of a float, bracket-flanges secured to said floats,

brackets pivotally connected at their upper ends to the fixed bracket-flanges, shafts journaled in the pivoted brackets, motor wheels fixed to the shafts, said motor wheels consisting of a series of arms and pivoted blades, and means for holding the brackets against pivotal movement in one direction, and power wheels connected to the shafts provided with the motor wheels.

8. In a motor of the class described, the combination of a float, means for anchoring the float, motor shafts spaced from each other, said motor shafts journaled in brackets pivoted to the float, said shafts provided with wheels at their upper ends, a power shaft located intermediate the motor a, shafts and means for imparting rotary motion to said power shaft.

'4. In a motor of the class described, the combination of a float, means for anchoring the float, brackets pivoted to the float, shafts journaled in the brackets, said shafts provided with motor wheels, said wheels consisting of a. series of blades pivoted between their vertical edges and means for limiting the pivotal movement of said blades, a power shaft and means intermediate the motor shafts to impart rotary motion to said power shaft.

5. In a stream motor, a float, motor shafts carrying brackets pivotally connected to said float, motor shafts journaled in the brackets, motor wheels connected to said shafts and said motor wheels adapted to rotate in opposite directions, a power shaft and means intermediate the motor shaft adapted to actuate said power shaft.

6. In a stream motor, a float, motor shaft carrying brackets pivotally connected to said float, and means for locking said brackets in fixed position, motor wheels connected to said shaft and said motor wheels adapted to rotate in opposite directions, a power shaft and means intermediate the motor shaft adapted to actuate said power shaft.

7. In a motor of the class described, a float, motor shaft carrying brackets pivotally connected to said float, motor shafts journaled in said brackets, motor wheels connected to said shafts, said motor wheels adapted to rotate in opposite directions.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES SOHOENFELD.

Witnesses:

F. W. BOND, SYLVIA BORON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

